Social distancing goes for a toss in Secunderabad Cantonment, Covid-19 cases rise

SECUNDERABAD: From only one case until May-end, the count of Covid-19 cases in the Secunderabad Cantonment area has now shot to eight. It has, however, reported no deaths so far.
Local officials of the cantonment area attribute this jump to people’s failure to follow social distancing — something that they strictly adhered to during the lockdown. “Since the time lockdown restrictions have been eased, social distancing norms are not being followed in many areas.Also, people are not wearing masks while venturing out,” in-charge medical officer for Bollarum and Trimulgherry, Dr Punna Sushma, said.
She added that many people with Covid-19 symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat and headache, are not consulting physicians.
The new cases have emerged from prime locations such as Mahendra Hills, Risala Bazar (Bollarum), Karkhana and Picket. Following the rise in numbers, authorities have identified four containment zones, over the last few days.
Talking about a positive case that was reported in Karkhana, another in-charge medical officer, Dr Mary Meena Kumari, said, “A person had visited a market at Ramnagar in Musheerabad and after a gap of nearly 10 days, he complained of having Covid-19 symptoms. He was discharged after being quarantined for a few days at a hospital. People are hiding the symptoms in the early stages and reporting them much later, which is dangerous.”
SCB senior superintendent (SWM), M Devender said that maintaining hygiene and taking all necessary precautions can go a long way in protecting people from coronavirus. “The SCB staff, who are working on the field, have not been infected so far as they are following all rules. A proposal to make public announcements to spread awareness among the people on Covid-19 is under active consideration,” he said.